Jewel to sing Women's Final Four

Free concert by Grammy nominated singer set for March 31

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NCAA on Thursday announced that singer-songwriter Jewel will perform a free concert as part of the 2012 NCAA Women’s Final Four activities in Denver. The concert will take place at 5:30 p.m. MT March 31 in the Colorado Convention Center, on the main stage of Tourney Town.

“I am so excited to be performing in front of all my Rocky Mountain fans at the NCAA Women’s Final Four in Denver. It is an honor to be supporting these extraordinary women at this marquee sporting event,” Jewel said. “It’s going to be a great show and I look forward to seeing everyone there.”

Jewel has received four Grammy Award nominations and sold more than 27 million albums worldwide during her distinguished career. She produced one of the best-selling debut albums of all time, Pieces of You, which went 15 times platinum. Jewel has crossed multiple genres throughout her career. Perfectly Clear, her first country album, was released in 2008 and debuted atop Billboard's Top Country Albums chart. She then released her first children’s album, Lullaby with Fisher-Price and Somerset Entertainment. That album was followed up with The Merry Goes ‘Round which was named iTunes Children’s Album of the Year in 2011.

Tourney Town is a free, family-friendly festival anchored by Center Stage. The festival includes non-stop programming such as concerts by national recording artists, the Women’s Final Four Pep Rally and Mascot Challenge, performances by basketball skills entertainers, the Talent Showdown, Lisa Leslie presents “Teamwork Makes the Dream Work,” NCAA Youth Clinics, emcee-hosted fan contests for great prizes and sponsor-based entertainment programming with giveaways.

The Tourney Town grand opening is at 10 a.m. March 30 and will remain open until 7 p.m. Hours of operation for Saturday will be 10 a.m.-7 p.m., and Sunday will be 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

“The Women’s Final Four weekend will provide numerous free events for families and basketball fans to come to downtown Denver and be part of the excitement, whether or not they are attending the games,” said Richard Scharf, president and chief executive officer of Visit Denver and executive director of the Denver Local Organizing Committee. “Tourney Town is a must-see during the Women’s Final Four weekend and to be able to have Jewel in the lineup is very exciting.”